The attack line was silent, Barca shared points with Getafe in La Liga
A week after a 1-1 draw with Espanyol, Barca suffered another surprise when they only managed a 0-0 result in their match against Getafe.
Faced with Getafe's deep defense and quick counter-attacks, Barca struggled even at home at the Nou Camp. The La Liga leaders had 70% possession but only had eight shots, while their tenth-ranked opponents had nine.
Getafe defended so well that Barca only had two dangerous situations in the first half. The first was Yerry Mina's volley from inside the box that bounced off a defender, while the second was Suarez's shot that went wide.
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Suarez, Messi and teammates were all silent against Getafe's defense. Photo: Marca |
Getafe were not far behind in attack when there were two situations that almost opened the score in the first half. If the ball had not bounced off Mina's foot and gone wide, Angel Rodriguez's shot in the 39th minute could have beaten goalkeeper Ter Stegen. Two minutes later, Japanese player Shibasaki also made the away team's fans regret wheninaccurate handling in the situation facing Ter Stegen.
Getafe missed even more chances in the second half. Shibasaki and Angel Rodriguez both failed to finish accurately once more, while Ter Stegen left the six-yard box and Antunes volleyed the ball just over the bar.
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Getafe caused difficulties for Barca both in attack and defense. |
Like many previous matches, rookie Coutinho has not been able to integrate tactically with his new teammates at Barca. The Brazilian star often tries to finish instead of passing the ball closer to the goal.
Barca dominated play after Iniesta replaced Coutinho in the 62nd minute. However, the remaining time was not enough for the home team to make a difference. Center-back Mina almost scored in his first start for Barca when he made two headers in the box. Suarez also had a header but was pushed away by goalkeeper Guaita.
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Mina headed the ball just wide of Getafe's goal. |
A 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp meant Barca were left without a win for the second consecutive La Liga game this season. The previous match was a 1-1 draw at Espanyol, with Gerard Pique equalising.
Barca are still unbeaten after 23 rounds but have only increased their total points to 59. From nine points last week, the gap between the leaders and second-placed Atletico Madrid has narrowed to seven points.
